Forgive my ignorance but....

[_MurtagH_]

Sorry to say this guys but... isn't all anime/manga basically the same but set in a different world/place? i mean from what i have seen (not much i must say) it seems like it revolves around a young main character and his/her friends usually involving a crazy guy, and old wise guy who knows too much to be believable and they train the young guy to save the world from a threat in the form of a force of pure evil and his/her minions?

I designed that comment to be oversimplified obviously. What do you think? I thought i'd ask you whether this was the case since a lot of you seem to be die-hard anime fans

(By the way... no pun intended... this is a reason why i love 'the way'. it's so ... different ... it has a COMPLETELY origianl plot. never before seen. purely awesome!)

[Forerunner]

No. Just no. You have no idea what you're talking about.


...and the Way is original and all that, but don't let Cocoa hear you say that.

[Burning_Flame]

Well its true that alot of anime movies follow a simple plot, but it isn't just anime. Alot of movie's have been doing this for a long time. But Alot of mavies are totally difrent and foolow no other movie and those are usually the movies that you hear everybody talking about because it was eather awsome or Shit-tastic.

[Greatchickenman]

Sorry to say this guys but... isn't all anime/manga basically the same but set in a different world/place? i mean from what i have seen (not much i must say) it seems like it revolves around a young main character and his/her friends usually involving a crazy guy, and old wise guy who knows too much to be believable and they train the young guy to save the world from a threat in the form of a force of pure evil and his/her minions?

Funny, that also seems to be the plot all books, comics, movies, plays, prose, you know. just about everything.

Don't go blaming Manga and Anime for having a cliche story. Oh yeah, that's why THEY'RE CALLED CLICHES!

[Forerunner]

I'm not anime genius, in fact I'm probably one of the least informed about anime in this forum, but off the top of my head I can think of at least 5 anime's that arn't like that.
For example, what about FLCL, there certainly is a lot of crazy people in it but it doesn't fit your description at all. And what about AppleSeed, it's an ok movie, and it is about fighting bad guys, but pure evil has nothing to do with any of it.

[Impossible]

Just ignore the dumbass... He's probably a member of Doovy & Co, or something.

[Vaylos]

Going to have to agree with burning flame on this one.

True, there's a -lot- of average anime out there that follows fairly formulaic plotlines, and story archs. (However there's a few of those that are -very- well done) However there's also a few gems that deviate from the "norm" FLCL definitely being one of them. I'd say Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are two others that fall outta the "norm" I mean sure...you've got main characters doing good things...but face it...the "heros" aren't exactly saints. I'm not entirely sure what all of Samurai Champloo is about because I haven't finished the series yet, but Cowboy Bebop is definitely not about going after the all-powerful villain. And let us not forget Shoujo (although, many shoujo are similar to each other, so that's probably a bad example -.-)
Although I think Kodocha is pretty original.

edit: Oh, and can't forget parody-based anime like Excel Saga and Pani Poni Dash!

[CJ]

I love Fullmetal Alchemist.



FMA isn't cliche, it's very original.

[Forerunner]

haha...I hadn't read that one yet, Fullmetal Alchemist rules.

[Teenr0cker]

I....I....I see...text! Yes, I see text in his post. I see text, but it...lacks...something....hmm


Yes, yes, I see now. It seems that his post lacks...any actual words containing logic and experience....I'll let it slide because this is a very very very complex topic.



Firstly, types? There is not only one "boy meets childhood friend, crazy antics ensue, the cherry blossoms of spring etc..., fireworks at festival, blah blah, huge yelling faces and colorful eyes...." type of anime. FLCL is an excellent example that proves that stereotype incorrect.

Not that a fool such as yourself would actually take time away from making sage-like bits of advice, but if you did, you would see that this short series is deeply symbolic as well as entertaining. Not all shows are DBZ, which I believe a picture somebody linked had the title "Dead-horse beaterz" or something, where it takes 10 eps for 5 show-minutes to pass before a planet explodes or something. Some shows actually have a point to them.

Another thing. Do you even take their historical background into consideration? I mean, just think about it for a minute. Why the green hair, vibrant eyes, and signature creepy mouth that shrinks to nothing when closed and becomes a gaping hole in their face when they open it? It seems obvious once you remember the origin of these characteristics. From what I have been led to believe, individuality isn't exactly abundant in the Japanese culture, nor is it in other asian nations. I believe that in Japanese animation they have catered to that by using those unique qualities.

Another thing to consider is their culture. A ton of programs in the US are based off of our culture. An obvious example of american-brand animation might be a Disney movie, but a blatently obvious example would be "american dad". For japan, their anime might reflect their wants, needs, and cultures. I think it's safe to assume that in any anime show, if a person says "OMG! YOU OWN A CAR!" or "OMG! I MUST GET INTO COLLEGE", there's a good chance that people in real life say those things too. If you want to talk stereotypes, like a samurai show, then I'll say that they're sticking with their historic cultures (though if it's for marketing or just because they thought the world needed another samurai/ninja show doesn't matter if it's good).


You may also want to take foreign culture into consideration as well. Look at Trigun or Cowboy BeBop. Both feature two popular aspects: They love futuristic settings for some odd reason, and they love western themes too. I'm not suprised really. I mean, if a middle-eastern country is willing to import the simpsons and make it middle-eastern safe by saying that beer is "Happy Juice", I'm sure somebody's going to enjoy the western theme. In fact, as I think about it, our cultures have mixed over the years. It is these changes that make the world a great place to live in some times. If you want to ignore anime and not commit yourself to watching it, fine. But don't make assumptions about things you seem to have no decent background support to base your statement off of. Anime is a lot more than "Kamehamehamehame-ha's" and chicks with shiny boots, crazy-long hair, school girl outfits, and blue hair.

[Impossible]

Teenr0cker, SHUT UP. Jesus, your stupidly long rambling insulting posts aren't funny anymore. Don't even dignify the mentally deficient topic creator.

[Poenaensis]

Ah Murtagh mentally deficiant? with an IQ of 150? Hardly! Actually read his post before biting his head off. He says "I don't know much" and "isn't it the same ?"
Let's face it, he hadn't exactly declared war on anime. You could have hust explained normally, and then put a link to a site proving your point.

[_MurtagH_]

guys read my post plz :S i was wondering whether this is the case... i mean talk about attakcing me for no reason.. i ask for an opinion then u bite my head off. jeeeeez chill

[iamtheverb]

this is going NOWHERE.